Hi, kids. Since this is one of my favorite and, arguably, one of the most underrated Stones songs, I felt compelled to create an account just to clear the record on this song.
This song is about heroin. Period. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. It’s not about a girl, and it’s not about cocaine.
Lyrics:
“Feeling so tired, can't understand it, Just had a fortnight's sleep” ---meaning: Heroin puts you to sleep, often for a very long time.
“I'm feeling so tired, I'm so distracted, Ain't touched a thing all week” ---meaning: heroin use causes disjointed thoughts and short-term memory loss.
I'm feeling drunk, juiced up and sloppy, Ain't touched a drink all night ---meaning: heroin use causes one to slur his/her speech, even though they’re not “drunk.”
I'm feeling hungry, can't see the reason, Just ate a horse meat pie ---meaning: “Horse” is street slang for heroin.
Yeah when you call my name, I salivate like a Pavlov dog ---meaning: Ivan Pavlov is the father of classical conditioning. He discovered that he could condition dogs to salivate with the ring of a bell, once they associated that sound with food. In the song, Jagger uses this as a metaphor to describe how he feels when he needs to fix.
Yeah when you lay me out, My heart is beating louder than a big bass drum, alright ---meaning: heroin literally “lays you out.” He’s excited to get his fix.
Yeah, you got to mix it child, You got to fix ---meaning: you literally need to mix heroin before drawing it into the needle.
it must be love, It's a bitch ---meaning: it’s a “double-edged sword.” Some authors claim this song is using heroin as a metaphor for love, but they have it backwards. The song clearly uses love as a metaphor for heroin!
Sometimes I'm sexy, move like a stud, Like kicking the stall all night (meaning: This lyric has multiple layers. Heroin causes short-term euphoria (sometimes I’m sexy, move like a stud). Often, horses kick their stalls when bored or to get their owners’ attention to feed them. It’s a compulsive, addictive behavior in horses that Jagger uses to associate with getting a sex and/or drug fix. And, again, “horse” is slang for heroin, so the reference could not be clearer)
Sometimes I'm so shy, got to be worked on, Don't have no bark or bite (meaning: heroin use can cause one to become socially withdrawn and literally avoid eye-contact with others).
Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that the entire album makes various heroin/sex references, often juxtapositioning heroin use against love/sex. “Sticky Fingers” could be taken to mean sticky fingers from touching heroin (some types are sticky, such as “black tar” heroin), or it could have an obvious sexual meaning. “Brown Sugar,” another track from this album, also plays heroin use against sex. Some heroin is a brown powder, not unlike brown sugar (yes, “Brown Sugar” references sex with slaves, but taken in the context of the entire album, it’s clear that Mick/Keith were making a point about heroin use being like sex, and how they’re slaves to “brown sugar” in more ways than one).
What a great piece of rock and roll and an epic, must-own album for any Stones fan.
Hi, kids. Since this is one of my favorite and, arguably, one of the most underrated Stones songs, I felt compelled to create an account just to clear the record on this song.
This song is about heroin. Period. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. It’s not about a girl, and it’s not about cocaine.
Lyrics:
“Feeling so tired, can't understand it, Just had a fortnight's sleep” ---meaning: Heroin puts you to sleep, often for a very long time.
“I'm feeling so tired, I'm so distracted, Ain't touched a thing all week” ---meaning: heroin use causes disjointed thoughts and short-term memory loss.
I'm feeling drunk, juiced up and sloppy, Ain't touched a drink all night ---meaning: heroin use causes one to slur his/her speech, even though they’re not “drunk.”
I'm feeling hungry, can't see the reason, Just ate a horse meat pie ---meaning: “Horse” is street slang for heroin.
Yeah when you call my name, I salivate like a Pavlov dog ---meaning: Ivan Pavlov is the father of classical conditioning. He discovered that he could condition dogs to salivate with the ring of a bell, once they associated that sound with food. In the song, Jagger uses this as a metaphor to describe how he feels when he needs to fix.
Yeah when you lay me out, My heart is beating louder than a big bass drum, alright ---meaning: heroin literally “lays you out.” He’s excited to get his fix.
Yeah, you got to mix it child, You got to fix ---meaning: you literally need to mix heroin before drawing it into the needle.
it must be love, It's a bitch ---meaning: it’s a “double-edged sword.” Some authors claim this song is using heroin as a metaphor for love, but they have it backwards. The song clearly uses love as a metaphor for heroin!
Sometimes I'm sexy, move like a stud, Like kicking the stall all night (meaning: This lyric has multiple layers. Heroin causes short-term euphoria (sometimes I’m sexy, move like a stud). Often, horses kick their stalls when bored or to get their owners’ attention to feed them. It’s a compulsive, addictive behavior in horses that Jagger uses to associate with getting a sex and/or drug fix. And, again, “horse” is slang for heroin, so the reference could not be clearer)
Sometimes I'm so shy, got to be worked on, Don't have no bark or bite (meaning: heroin use can cause one to become socially withdrawn and literally avoid eye-contact with others).
Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that the entire album makes various heroin/sex references, often juxtapositioning heroin use against love/sex. “Sticky Fingers” could be taken to mean sticky fingers from touching heroin (some types are sticky, such as “black tar” heroin), or it could have an obvious sexual meaning. “Brown Sugar,” another track from this album, also plays heroin use against sex. Some heroin is a brown powder, not unlike brown sugar (yes, “Brown Sugar” references sex with slaves, but taken in the context of the entire album, it’s clear that Mick/Keith were making a point about heroin use being like sex, and how they’re slaves to “brown sugar” in more ways than one).
What a great piece of rock and roll and an epic, must-own album for any Stones fan.